The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for storing and dispensing of food product, and more particularly to one which can be used in vehicles such as cars, trucks, or boats.
Travelers or other individuals using vehicles for transportation or enjoyment desire to partake of liquid refreshment. While such refreshment is preferably consumed hot or cold, the desired temperature of consumption often dissipates prior to completion of drinking. Attempts have been made to mitigate the problem, such as the providing of enclosed plastic cups for use with heated beverages, and the providing of foam insulated containers for holding refrigerated cans of beverages such as soft drinks or iced tea. However, both of these approaches merely seek to reduce the rate at which the beverage ultimately becomes lukewarm, and often undesirable. The problem is aggravated in situations involving vehicles, since heating or cooling means such as hot plate, microwave ovens or refrigerators are impractical.
Thermoelectric refrigerating appliances are known to exist. Examples of such refrigerating units include Mueller, U.S. Pat. No. 3,220,198; Mueller U.S. Pat. No. 3,324,667; Beitner U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,934; Beitner U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,414; Sudmier U.S. Pat. No. 3,194,023; and Sarbacher U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,144. All of the above, with the exception of Sarbacher disclose actual refrigeration units, whose sole purpose is to store food products. Sarbacher discloses a self-powered refrigerated disposable container which makes use of a thermoelectric cooling device placed within a cavity of the container to cool the contents thereof. Thus, none of the above patents disclose the utilization of thermoelectric technology with a dispenser capable of providing individualized consumption of a food product, while at the same time being capable of storing the as yet unused portion.
It is thus apparent that the need exists for an improved apparatus for storing and dispensing a food product, which apparatus can heat or cool the food product so that it may be consumed at a desirable temperature.